That night at the hotel Gaylan would neither be consoled nor comforted. She cried for hours, tears running down her pale face, tears Vin suspected she'd saved up until this very day. The day she remembered it all.
Dressed in a modest nightdress she laid on the bed, her back to him, not moving even when he laid down next to her as he had every night since she'd moved from Nathan's to the hotel. He wanted desperately to take her in his arms and to couple with her gently in the hopes that his love and devotion would be enough to show her that, from that moment on, he would protect her. Protect her from hurtful men like her former husband and relatively harmless men like Buck Wilmington and most especially from mean spirited, bigoted citizens like those of Four Corners. Hell, he'd protect her from the whole world if he had to.
All through the night Vin spoke to her softly, telling her of his plans, his new found hopes and dreams and gradually Gaylan's tears stopped. She turned to face him, nestling into his welcoming arms, and buried her face in his neck but not before looking in his handsome face in the lamplight and seeing his eyes, so intense with concern for her that she would have cried even harder had she any tears left to shed.
Exhausted, Gaylan was content to simply lie in his strong arms for a while and to just listen to the slow and steady beating of his heart, a sound that eventually soothed her to sleep and when she awoke a few hours later, alone in the bed, the room empty, she hurriedly dressed and headed to Nathan's clinic.
Vin Tanner had risen before the sun and had watched his Molly sleep for a few minutes before heading directly to his wagon where he took stock of the supplies he would need to outfit it again. He'd let the town lull him with a false sense of security but now it was time to go and, as he cleaned and repacked his meager belongings and made mental notes of the food and other sundries he would need, Chris Larabee came up behind him
"Were you gonna say goodbye?" the taciturn gunfighter asked quietly.
Startled, Vin spun around and, when he saw it was Chris, he smiled sheepishly. "How'd ya know?"
"Had a feelin'" was all Larabee said.
Vin returned to his packing as Chris walked around to the back of the wagon to lean against the tailgate and light up a cheroot waiting patiently for Vin to offer up more information.
"Thought I'd go back to my people for a while. Get a new perspective on things."
"The Comanche?" Chris asked not really sure the wanted man should venture back into Texas.
"Kiowa. Thought I'd head out to Oklahoma," Vin offered up stopping his work to turn to his friend.
Chris smiled easily and suggested, "Plenty of places to settle right here."
Vin thought for a moment and shook his head. "Nah, she's caught 'twixt two worlds and welcomed in neither and I'd spare her any more pain."
Chris knew that the acceptance of a 'white squaw' was hard if not impossible in this day and agreed with Vin but was nonetheless sorry to see the man leave. He'd come to know the Texan well and knew that, once Vin had made up his mind, he wouldn't be dissuaded. It was a trait Chris admired in the man, had come to rely on, and he respected the decency of Vin's noble gesture. Maybe with a good woman, and many hundreds of miles away from Tascosa and Four Corners, Vin Tanner could finally find the peace that had eluded him for so long. Extending his hand Chris told him simply, "It's been an honor."
Vin stared momentarily at the proffered hand and, smiling, grasped it strongly in his own, "Thanks, Chris…for being my friend."